Owl women earn first wins of season
Amanda Hotham came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points to lead the UM-Presque Isle women’s basketball team to a 56-44 victory over Fisher College Friday in Lynn, Mass. The victory was the first of the season for the Owls, against eight losses, while Fisher remained winless at 0-11.
The Owls appeared to be heading into halftime trailing on the road, as they were down 23-18 with 4:15 left. But Hotham, a freshman from Fort Fairfield, scored six points during an 8-3 run to tie the game 26-26 at the break
UM-Presque Isle established and maintained a lead of four points or less for most of the second half. Finally, up 45-42 with 3:29 remaining, the Owls outscored the Falcons 11-2 to close out the game.
It was a trio of freshmen — Hotham, Doni Yendriga and Taylor Cochran — that led the scoring charge for the Owls in the second half. The rookies accounted for 22 of UMPI’s 30 second-half points.
Yendriga finished with her first career double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds), while Cochran scored eight points and pulled down 12 rebounds in 18 minutes of work. Guard Olivia McNally, a junior from Sherman, dished out a career-high 10 assists in the win.
Javana Bernard scored 22 points to lead the Falcons.
On Sunday, the Owls made it two wins in a row with a 54-46 triumph over SUNY-Canton in a game played in Canton, N.Y.
Emily Pelletier netted five three-pointers and finished with a game-high 17 points. Hotham had eight points and eight rebounds and McNally scored 11 and also dished out seven assists. Randi Kaplan connected on a key three-pointer late in the contest for the winners.
UMPI was back in action Tuesday as the team hosted Bates College of Lewiston.
The Owl men got past SUNY-Canton Jan. 6, 61-58, to improve to 7-7 on the season.
Michael Warner had 17 points, Patrick Manifold 16 and Claude Louis 13 to lead the UMPI offense. Brad Trask, a senior from Easton, logged a career-high 12 rebounds, while Louis had 13.
UMPI dropped an 80-70 decision to Fisher College Jan. 4. After leading by one at intermission, the Owls were outscored 45-34 over the final 20 minutes.
Ryan McCorkle scored 24 points to pace the Falcons.
Louis led the Owls with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals, but he also committed eight turnovers. Warner and Manifold scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, while Aaron Hutchins came off the bench to score 11.
The previous weekend, at a tournament which took place in Salem, Mass., UMPI fell twice. They lost on Dec. 29 to the host Vikings, 86-75, and fell to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the following afternoon, 70-46.
